Indigenous Reading List - Centre for Teaching Excellence

This document was curated by Matthew Michaud at Capilano University. Please contact him regarding inquiries and assistance concerning Indigenizing your curriculum.

Non-Fiction

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph, 2018

“Based on a viral article, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is the essential guide to understanding the legal document and its repercussion on generations of Indigenous Peoples, written by a leading cultural sensitivity trainer.” (Bob Joseph)

Bob Joseph, founder of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc, provides training on Indigenous relations.

The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book by Gord Hill, 2010

“A powerful and historically accurate graphic portrayal of Indigenous peoples' resistance to the European colonization of the Americas, beginning with the Spanish invasion under Christopher Columbus and ending with the Six Nations land reclamation in Ontario in 2006. (Strong Nations)

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist, and activist of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation.

A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, 2015

“A Knock on the Door, published in collaboration with the National Research Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, gathers material from the several reports the TRC has produced to present the essential history and legacy of residential schools in a concise and accessible package that includes new material to help inform and contextualize the journey to reconciliation that Canadians are now embarked upon.” (University of Manitoba Press)

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of A Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby, 2016 “A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby’s extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby’s story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.” (University of Manitoba Press)

Ma-Nee Chacaby is a Two-Spirit Ojibwa-Cree Elder, raised near Lake Nipigon, Ontario.

All the Way: My Life on Ice by Jordin Tootoo, 2014

“Though he played through it (the suicide of his brother), Tootoo suffered from many of the same problems that have plagued so many people from his community. In 2010, he checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction. It seemed as though a promising (hockey) career had ended too soon.” (Penguin Canada)

Jordin Tootoo recently retired from the NHL. Of Inuit and Ukrainian descent, he is both the first Inuk player and the first player to grow up in Nunavut to participate in the NHL.

As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, 2017

“Across North America, Indigenous acts of resistance have in recent years opposed the removal of federal protections for forests and waterways in Indigenous lands, halted the expansion of tar sands extraction and the pipeline construction at Standing Rock, and demanded justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women.” (University of Minnesota Press)

Being Ts'elxwéyeqw: First Peoples' Voices and History from the Chilliwack-Fraser Valley, British Columbia by Tselxwéyeqw Tribe, edited by David M. Schaepe, 2018

“The traditional territory of the Ts'elxwéyeqw First Nation extends throughout the central Fraser Valley, encompassing the entire Chilliwack River Valley. In addition to being an area of natural beauty and abundant resources, it also has a rich cultural history. The Chilliwack region gets its name from the Ts’elxwéyeqw tribe, and this volume delves into what it means to be Ts’elxwéyeqw.” (Harbour Publishing)

David Schaepe, PhD, is Director of the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre at Stó:lō Nation, where has worked since 1997.

Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together by Steve Heinrichs, 2013

“How can North Americans come to terms with the lamentable clash between Indigenous and settler cultures, faiths, and attitudes toward creation? Showcasing a variety of voices—both traditional and Christian, native and non-native—Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry offers up alternative histories and radical theologies.” (Steve Heinrichs)

Steve Heinrichs lives in Treaty 1 Territory, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Steve is currently the Indigenous relations director for Mennonite Church Canada.

Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life by

James Daschuk, 2013

“In arresting, but harrowing, prose, James Daschuk examines the roles that Old World diseases, climate, and, most disturbingly, Canadian politics—the politics of ethnocide—played in the deaths and subjugation of thousands of aboriginal people in the realization of Sir John A. Macdonald’s ‘National Dream.’” (University of Regina Press)

James Daschuk, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies (UofR) and a researcher with the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit.

Crazy Brave: A Memoir by Joy Harjo, 2012

“In this transcendent memoir, grounded in tribal myth and ancestry, music and poetry, Joy Harjo details her journey to becoming a poet. Born in Oklahoma, the end place of the Trail of Tears, Harjo grew up learning to dodge an abusive stepfather by finding shelter in her imagination, a deep spiritual life, and connection with the natural world. Narrating the complexities of betrayal and love, Crazy Brave is a haunting, visionary memoir about family.” (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Mvskoke Nation.

Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit by Marie Battiste, 2013

“Drawing on treaties, international law, the work of other Indigenous scholars, and especially personal experiences, Marie Battiste documents the nature of Eurocentric models of education, and their devastating impacts on Indigenous knowledge.” (University of Washington Press)

Marie Battiste, PhD, is a Mi’kmaq from Unama’kik (Cape Brenton, Nova Scotia), and a graduate of Harvard and Stanford. She is the Academic Director or the Aboriginal Education Research Centre (usask), and a United Nations technical expert on the guidelines for protecting Indigenous heritage.

Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, 1999

“From the vantage point of the colonized, the term 'research' is inextricably linked with European colonialism; the ways in which scientific research has been implicated in the worst excesses of imperialism remains a powerful remembered history for many of the world's colonized peoples. Here, an Indigenous researcher issues a call for the decolonization of research methods.” (Linda Tuhiwai Smith)

Linda Tuhiwai Smith, PhD, is Pro Vice-Chancellor Maori with responsibilities for Maori development at the University of Waikato as well as Dean of the School of Maori and Pacific Development and a professor of Education and Maori Development.

Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and about Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging, 2018

“Elements of Indigenous Style offers Indigenous writers and editors--and everyone creating works about Indigenous Peoples--the first published guide to common questions and issues of style and process. Everyone working in words or other media needs to read this important new reference, and to keep it nearby while they're working.” (Brush Education Inc.) Gregory Younging, a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, is the publisher of Theytus Books, the first Indigenous-owned publishing house in Canada.

Ensouling our Schools: A Universally Designed Framework for Mental Health, Well-Being, and Reconciliation by Jennifer Katz, 2018

“In an educational milieu in which standards and accountability hold sway, schools can become places of stress, marginalization, and isolation instead of learning communities that nurture a sense of meaning and purpose. In Ensouling Our Schools, author Jennifer Katz weaves together methods of creating schools that engender mental, spiritual, and emotional health while developing intellectual thought and critical analysis.” (Portage & Main Press)

Jennifer Katz, PhD, was a teacher in various classrooms from K to 12 in Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Firewater: How Alcohol is Killing my People (and Yours) by Harold Johnson, 2016

“Drawing on his years of experience as a Crown prosecutor in Treaty 6 territory, Harold Johnson challenges readers to change the story we tell ourselves about the drink that goes by many names — booze, hooch, spirits, sauce and the evocative "firewater." Confronting the harmful stereotype of the "lazy, drunken Indian," and rejecting medical, social and psychological explanations of the roots of alcoholism, Johnson cries out for solutions, not diagnoses, and shows how alcohol continues to kill so many.” (From University of Regina Press) Harold Johnson was born and raised in Northern Saskatchewan. He has a Master of Law degree from Harvard University, and he has served in the Canadian Navy, and worked in mining and logging.

First Nations 101: Tons of Stuff You Need to Know About First Nations People by Lynda Gray, 2011

“First Nations 101 is an informative and opinionated guide to First Nations issues. Written in an accessible style and with a wry sense of humor, Lynda Gray provides readers with a broad overview of the diverse and complex day-to-day realities of Firs Nations people.” (Adaawx Publishing)

Lynda Gray is a member of the Tsimshian Nation on the Northwest Coast of B.C (Gisbutwada Clan).

For Joshua: An Ojibway Father Teaches His Son by Richard Wagamese, 2002

“Wagamese stares the modern world in the eye and takes careful note of its snares and perils. He sees people coveting without knowing why, people looking for roots without understanding what might constitute rootedness, people looking for acceptance without offering reciprocal respect, and people longing for love without knowing how to offer it. And underneath all lurks the seductive oblivion of substance abuse.” (Penguin Canada) Forever Loved: Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada edited by Memee Lavell-Harvard and Jennifer Brant, 2016 “Tremendously informative work on one of the most pressing issues in Canada today. For those seeking answers on how to address the deplorable situation of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, they are here.” (Kim Anderson) Lavell-Harvard, PhD, has researched the epidemic of low academic achievement and high dropout rates among Aboriginal populations in Canada. Brant, PhD, is Mohawk with family ties to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

From Oral to Written: A Celebration of Indigenous Literature in Canada, 1980-2010 by Tomson Highway, 2017

“Leading author Tomson Highway surveys the first wave of Indigenous writers published in Canada. From the Mi'qmaw of Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island to the Loucheux of Old Crow, Yukon, From Oral to Written profiles Aboriginal Canadians telling their own stories about their own people in their own voices from their own perspective.” (Talon Books)

From the Barren Lands: Fur Trade, First Nations, and A Life in Northern Canada by Leonard Flett, 2015

“This is a story about the fur trade and First Nations, and the development of northern Canada, seen and experienced not only through Leonard Flett's eyes, but also through the eyes of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The lives of Indigenous people in remote areas of northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the 1960s and 1970s are examined in detail.” (Great Plains Press)

Leonard G. Flett is a member of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake, Ontario). He is former VP of The North West Company and member of the Order of Canada.

Half-Breed by Maria Campbell, 1983

“For Maria Campbell, a Métis ("Halfbreed") in Canada, the brutal realities of poverty, pain and degradation intruded early and followed her every step. Her story is a harsh one, but it is told without bitterness or self-pity. It is a story that begins in 1940 in northern Saskatchewan and moves across Canada's West, where Maria roamed in the rootless existence of day-to-day jobs, drug addiction and alcoholism.” (Goodread Biography)

Maria Campbell was born and raised in a northern Saskatchewan Metis community.

Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by Murray Sinclair, 2015

This book contains the Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, released in June 2015.

Murray Sinclair, is a lawyer, judge and senator (born in 1951 in Selkirk, MB). Sinclair focused primarily on civil and criminal litigation, Indigenous law and human rights. In 1988, he became Manitoba’s first, and Canada’s second, Indigenous judge.

I Am Woman: A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism by Lee Maracle, 1996

“One of the foremost Indigenous writers in North America, Lee Maracle links her First Nations heritage with feminism in this visionary book.” (Press Gang Publishers)

In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation by Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, 2016 “In This Together addresses the vital question, “What is real reconciliation?” This collection of essays from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors from across Canada welcomes readers into a timely, healing conversation. These reflective and personal pieces come from journalists, writers, academics, visual artists, filmmakers, city planners, and lawyers, all of whom look deeply and honestly at their own experiences and assumptions about race and racial divides in Canada.” (Brindle & Glass)

Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail is Edmonton’s Historian Laureate and a columnist for CBC Radio Active.

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King, 2013 “The Inconvenient Indian is at once a “history” and the complete subversion of a history—in short, a critical and personal meditation that the remarkable Thomas King has conducted over the past 50 years about what it means to be “Indian” in North America.” (Penguin Canada)

Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit by Jo-Ann Archibald, 2008

“Indigenous Storywork is the result of working closely with elders and storytellers, and it demonstrates how stories have the power to educate and heal the heart, mind, body, and spirit. It builds on the seven principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy that form a framework for understanding the characteristics of stories, appreciating the process of storytelling, establishing a receptive learning context, and engaging in holistic meaning-making.” (UBC Press)

Jo-ann Archibald, PhD, is professor of Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education at the UBC

Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel, 2016 “Delgamuukw. Sixties Scoop. Bill C-31. Blood quantum. Appropriation. Two-Spirit. Tsilhqot'in. Status. TRC. RCAP. FNPOA. Pass and permit. Numbered Treaties. Terra nullius. The Great Peace...Are you familiar with the terms listed above? In Indigenous Writes, Vowel, legal scholar, teacher and intellectual, opens an important dialogue about these…concepts and the wider social beliefs associated with the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada.” (Portage & Main Press) Chelsea Vowel is Métis from manitow-sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta. She is a writer, and educator whose work intersects language, gender, Métis self- determination, and resurgence.

Invisible North: The Search for Answers on A Troubled Reserve by Alexandra Shimo-Barry, 2016

“When freelance journalist Alexandra Shimo arrives in Kashechewan, a fly-in, northern Ontario reserve, to investigate rumours of a fabricated water crisis and document its deplorable living conditions, she finds herself drawn into the troubles of the reserve.” (Dundurn Press)

Alexandra Shimo studied at Oxford (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) and did a Master's in journalism at Columbia before she went to work as a producer for the CBC and an editor at Maclean's. An award-winning journalist, she lives in Toronto.

Life Among the Qallunaat by Mini Aodla Freeman, 2015

“Life Among the Qallunaat is the story of Freeman’s experiences growing up in the Inuit communities of James Bay and her journey in the 1950s from her home to the strange land and stranger customs of the Qallunaat, those living south of the Arctic. Her extraordinary story, sometimes humorous and sometimes heartbreaking, illustrates an Inuit woman’s movement between worlds and ways of understanding. It also provides a clear-eyed record of the changes that swept through Inuit communities in the 1940s and 1950s.” (University of Manitoba Press)

Mini Aodla Freeman is an author, playwright, and translator born on Cape Hope Island in James Bay, Nunavut.

My Conversations With Canadians by Lee Maracle, 2017

“Maracle's conversations with Canadians presents a tour de force exploration into the writer's own history and a re-imagining of the future of our nation.” (BookThug)

The Native Voice: The History of Canada's First Aboriginal Newspaper and Its Founder Maisie Hurley by Eric Jamieson, 2016

“Maisie Hurley’s dedication to improving the lives of those she referred to as “my people” was honoured through several First Nations naming ceremonies by people of the Skeena, Squamish/North Vancouver and Comox areas. The story of the NBBC, The Native Voice and Maisie Hurley offer an inspiring testament to the power of cooperation and vision to create powerful change.” (Caitlin Press)

Eric Jamieson has contributed articles to a variety of newspapers and magazines.

Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth about Lies about Indians by Darrell Dennis, 2014

“Employing pop culture examples, personal anecdote and a cutting wit, Peace Pipe Dreams deftly weaves history with current events to entertain, inform and provide a convincing, readable overview of First Nations issues and why they matter today.” (Douglas & McIntyre)

Darrell Dennis is an author, playwright, broadcaster, actor, and comedian from the Secwepemc Nation.

Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony by Sara Davidson and Robert Davidson, 2018

“In 1884, the Canadian government enacted a ban on the potlatch, the foundational ceremony of the Haida people. The tradition, which determined social structure, transmitted cultural knowledge, and redistributed wealth, was seen as a cultural impediment to the government’s aim of assimilation.” (Portage & Main Press)

Sara Davison, PhD, is a Haida educator and scholar who works with teacher candidates to bring Indigenous content, perspectives, and pedagogies into their classrooms. Robert Davidson is one of Canada’s most respected and important contemporary artists. He is a master Haida carver of totem poles and masks, and printmaker.

Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival by Bev Sellars, 2016

“Price Paid untangles truth from some of the myths about First Nations at the same time as it addresses many misconceptions still widely believed today. Based on a popular presentation Sellars created for treaty-makers, politicians, policymakers, and educators when she discovered they did not know the historic reasons they were at the table negotiating First Nations rights, this is essentially Canadian history told from a First Nations point of view.” (Talonbooks)

Bev Sellars is chief of the Xatsu'll (Soda Creek) First Nation in Williams Lake. She holds a law degree from the University of British Columbia. She has served as an advisor to the British Columbia Treaty Commission.

Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Wilson, 2009

Describing “a research paradigm shared by Indigenous scholars in Canada and Australia, this study demonstrates how this standard can be put into practice. Portraying Indigenous researchers as knowledge seekers who work to progress Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing in a constantly evolving context, this examination shows how relationships both shape Indigenous reality and are vital to reality itself.” (Fernwood Publishing)

Shawn Wilson, PhD, is Opaskwayak Cree from northern Manitoba, Canada and now lives in Australia.

Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire, 2016

“Secret Path tells the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School 50 years ago. Secret Path acknowledges a dark part of Canada’s history—the long-suppressed mistreatment of Indigenous children and families by the residential school system—with the hope of starting our country on a road to reconciliation.” (Simon & Schuster)

Gord Downie was a Canadian musician, writer, and the lead singer and lyricist for The Tragically Hip. Jeff Lemire is an author and artist who has written and illustrated many acclaimed graphic novels.

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga, 2017

“In 1966, twelve-year-old Chanie Wenjack froze to death on the railway tracks after running away from residential school. An inquest was called and four recommendations were made to prevent another tragedy. None of those recommendations were applied.” (House of Anansi)

Tanya Talaga is an Anishinaabe Canadian journalist and author.

The Shoe Boy: A Trapline Memoir by Duncan McCue, 2016

“Frank, funny and evocative, The Shoe Boy deftly entwines the challenges of identity for First Nations youth, the sexual frustration and hopeful confusion of the teenage years, and the realities of living in an enduring state of culture shock.” (Nonvella Publishing)

Duncan McCue is Anishinaabe, a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation in southern Ontario. He is a journalist who works for the CBC with a background in law and has taught at UBC.

Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada edited by Rachel A. Mishenene and Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, 2011

“Strength and Struggle…is part of McGraw-Hill Ryerson's iLit Collection of supplementary student resources for high school English courses. This title is a 149-page, soft-cover book that includes a rich array of short stories, poetry, music lyrics, graphic art, articles, essays, and other pieces that will have students laughing, crying, talking, and thinking. It is a true celebration of First Nations, Inuit and Métis writing and art.” (McGraw-Hill Ryerson)

Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow by Brian D. McInnes, 2016

“Francis Pegahmagabow (1889–1952), an Ojibwe of the Caribou clan, enlists at the onset of the First World War, he served overseas as a scout and sniper and became Canada’s most decorated Indigenous soldier. He served his community as both Chief and Councilor and was a founding member of the Brotherhood of Canadian Indians, the first national Indigenous political organization.” (University of Manitoba Press)

Brian D. McInnes is a member of the Wasauksing First Nation and is a great-grandson of Francis Pegahmagabow.

Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith, 2017 “Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education, awareness and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt by survivors and their families.” (Orca Books)

The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew, 2015

“The Reason You Walk spans that 2012 year, chronicling painful moments in the past and celebrating renewed hopes and dreams for the future. As Kinew revisits his own childhood in Winnipeg and on a reserve in Northern Ontario, he learns more about his father's traumatic childhood at residential school.” (Penguin Canada)

Wab Kinew is a member of the Midewin. He is the Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Relations at The University of Winnipeg. In 2012, he hosted the acclaimed CBC-TV documentary series 8th Fire.

The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy by Arthur Manuel and Ronald M. Derrickson, 2017

“In this book Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson challenge virtually everything that non-Indigenous Canadians believe about their relationship with Indigenous Peoples and the steps that are needed to place this relationship on a healthy and honourable footing.” (Lorimer)

The Right To Be Cold : One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, 2015

“The Right to Be Cold is a human story of resilience, commitment, and survival. It explores the parallels between safeguarding the Arctic and the survival of Inuit culture in the face of past, present, and future environmental degradation. Long-listed for 2017 CBC Canada Reads.” (Penguin Canada)

Sheila Watt-Cloutier is one of the world’s most recognized environmental and human rights activists. She treats the issues of our day—the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability—not as separate concerns, but as a deeply interconnected whole.

They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School by Bev Sellars, 2012 “In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph's Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school's lasting effects on her and her family—from substance abuse to suicide attempts—and eloquently articulates her own path to healing.” (Talonbooks) Bev Sellars is chief of the Xatsu'll (Soda Creek) First Nation in Williams Lake, British Columbia. She holds a law degree from UBC. She has served as an advisor to the BC Treaty Commission.

The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative by Thomas King, 2003

“Beginning with a traditional Native oral story, King weaves his way through literature and history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest, gracefully elucidating North America's relationship with its Native peoples.” (House of Anansi Press)

Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada by Paulette Regan, 2010 “In Unsettling the Settler Within, Paulette Regan, a former residential-schools-claims manager, argues that in order to truly participate in the transformative possibilities of reconciliation, non-Aboriginal Canadians must undergo their own process of decolonization.” (UBC Press) Paulette Regan’s work has focused on Aboriginal rights, Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations, and the legacy of Indian residential schools.

Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-up Call by Arthur Manuel and Ronald M. Derrickson, 2015

“Together the Secwepemc activist intellectual and the Syilx (Okanagan) businessman bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to Canada’s most glaring piece of unfinished business: the place of Indigenous peoples within the country’s political and economic space. The story is told through Arthur’s voice but he traces both of their individual struggles against the colonialist and often racist structures that have been erected to keep Indigenous peoples in their place in Canada.” (BTL Books)

Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History by Edmund Metatawabin and Alexandra Shimo, 2014

“A powerful, raw and eloquent memoir about the abuse former First Nations chief Edmund Metatawabin endured in residential school in the 1960s, the resulting trauma, and the spirit he rediscovered within himself and his community through traditional spirituality and knowledge.” (Penguin Canada)

Edmund Metatawabin is a Cree writer, educator, and activist.

We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us: Lives and Stories of First Nations People in British Columbia by Katherine Palmer Gordon, 2013

“We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us collects sixteen candid stories of people who share an unshakeable belief in the importance of their cultural heritage to their well-being, to their success at what they do, and to their everyday lives. Shattering stereotypes, We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us celebrates today’s young native people who represent a bright future for Canada.” (Harbour Publishing)

Katherine Palmer Gordon is an author, lawyer, and First Peoples’ land claims negotiator and facilitator.

The Winter We Danced: Voices From the Past, the Future, and the Idle No More Movement by The Kino-nda-niimi Collective, 2014.

“The Winter We Danced is a vivid collection of writing, poetry, lyrics, art, and images from the many diverse voices that make up the past, present, and future of the Idle No More movement. Calling for pathways into healthy, just, equitable, and sustainable communities, this collection consolidates some of the most powerful, creative, and insightful moments from the winter we danced, and gestures towards next steps in an ongoing movement for justice and Indigenous self-determination.” (ARP Books)